18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY, HISTORICAL TREKKING, AND LONG TERM SURVIVAL.

A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Monday, 17 December 2012

Off Topic. Advice for off the grid solar power users.

Most people who follow this blog have realised by now the connection between 18th century living history/historical trekking and survival. So the other posts I make on here are not so far off the track in that respect. My wife and I have been living off the grid for over 30 years now, and we were living up in Elm Cottage without any electricity for at least 20 years. Hence once in a while I like to share some of my learnt knowledge with you, in the hope that it may improve your standard of living, or at least help prepare you for hard times.

Many people when going off the grid think that only the power source changes, not their lives. This is NOT the case. When living off the grid you need to change the way you used to think back in town, your lifestyle needs to change. You do not have to live without comforts, but you do need to adapt to your new way of living.You can't use an electric stove, it will drain and kill your batteries. You can not leave the television turned on all day when not actually watching something and you may need to limit your viewing hours depending on the solar system you have, and the weather conditions.If you have any questions or suggestions I have missed, please contact me.

For Solar Power
Users Off The Grid.

·Really hot weather here in Australia, so check the water/acid level on
your batteries frequently. Hot weather and high charging rates will deplete the
level of distilled water in your battery cells.

·Only use distilled water in your batteries.

·Do not overload your batteries regardless of weather conditions; only
use items that your solar system was built to handle.

Items Not To Use.

·Electric stoves and ovens.

·Electric grills.

·Electric irons.

·Electric hot water systems.

·Electric toasters.

·Electric lawn mowers (other than those with self battery power).

·Electric jugs.

·Electric kettles.

·Clothes dryers.

·Electric heating appliances.

·Air conditioners.

·Flood lights.

·Electric welders.

·Compressors.

·240 Volt water pumps.

·Anything that uses a lot of power.

Do Use.

·The highest star rating appliances you can get in Television monitors,
washing machines and fridges.

·LED lighting.

·Wood burning stoves and heaters.

·Outdoor washing lines and indoor washing racks.

·Large windows and fly screens.

·Curtains to shut out the sun on very hot days and keep the heat in on
cold days.

·Security screen doors so you can leave the doors open on a hot day.

·Solar powered battery operated security lights that run on their own separate
solar panels.

·A back-up generator that will charge your batteries and power the house
at the same time.

Do Not:

·Leave lights on.

·Leave appliances tuned on when not in use.

·Leave the fridge door open for any longer than necessary.

·Use the washing machine or any other high power usage appliances on
overcast days.

·Run your batteries down below the recommended levels. If you do, use
your generator to charge the batteries until they are back up to the recommended
specific gravity and voltage levels.

·Use power tools for any longer than necessary. Consider alternatives for
these electric tools, such as foot powered or hand powered.

·Allow trades people to use your power. Inform them before hand that you
run your house on solar power and they need to supply their own power generator
for power tools and other electric appliances.

Do.

·Check your batteries specific gravity, amps input, and volts frequently
in winter. Record these levels along with the date, weather conditions, and
what type of appliances you were using the day before.

·Keep your batteries up off the cold ground. Batteries work more
efficiently when hot, solar panels work more efficiently when cold.

·Clear the snow off your solar panels as soon as possible in winter.

·Place your solar panels so you can reach them without going onto your roof
if you live in snow country.

·Make sure trees and bushes are not shading your solar panels at any time
of the day.

·If you need to, use high power usage appliances during sunny days whilst
the sun is shining, e.g. washing machine, electric drills etc.

·Close your wood burning stove down when not in use. This will save you
wood and will not add to the heat in summer.

4 comments:

For those who are sitting on the fence on this issue of Having a solar set up, you can start small. I have a total of 3 micro-solar set ups. The largest one is only 20 watts and provides me with some LED lighting 24/7 and it can run a small 10” fan 24/7 during the summer. The cost was under $100 including the car battery.

all but the bar fridge I run for probably at least 3hrs a day but would definitely get more out of it.

Back up is a 4.0kva Sinewave inverter generator (ebay)running a 10amp non pulse battery charger as well as in the event of need: Microwave, toaster and Air conditioning.

Heating is taken care of by LPG until I finishing building my outside wood-fired water circulating radiant heater, if it wasn't for the internal space of my house (40x10 foot demount-able) I'd just have a normal inside fire.

Water 2x 1000ltr IB Containers car trailer mounted.

I think the next step for me will be a 1.5kw wind turbine and couple more 200ah batteries to cover those dreaded overcast days and maybe a bigger fridge.

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Settlers.

"I noticed particularly, one family of about 12 in number. The mancarried an axe and a gun on his shoulders. The Wife, the rim of a spinningwheel in one hand, and a loaf of bread in the other. Several little boys andgirls, each with a bundle, according to their size Two poor horses, eachheavily loaded with some poor necessities. On the top of the baggage of one,was an infant rocked to sleep in a kind of wicker cage, lashed securely to thehorse. A cow formed one of the company ,and she was destined to bear herproportion of service - a bed cord was wound around her horns and a bag of mealon her back. They were not only patient, but cheerful and pleased withthemselves with the expectation of seeing happy days beyond the mountains"Diary of Presbyterian Rev. David McClure.18th century.

What is Living History?

What is Living History?Living history makes history come to life. To do this members emulate different sorts of people from history. These can include blacksmiths, seamstresses, housewives, farmers, woodsmen and woodswomen. We wear the clothes of the time and learn and use the life and trade skills of the period.What period of history does the NECLHG re-enact ?Approximately 1680-1760 on the New World Frontier.Why this period of history and why a New World lifestyle and not Australian?The New World was settled much earlier than Australia and enables us to choose from a larger variety of nationalities, occupations and skills. All of these options make the activities more fun.Australian settlement was in a later period and founded on a penal colony. There are other re-enactment groups for people interested in the Australian colonial period.Is joining NECLHG expensive?No. There are no membership fees for the group. The activity is only as expensive as you want it to be! Many members make all their own period style clothing and equipment. This is an ideal activity for people who like to make things and be creative.What if there are some items I can not make myself or I am too busy to make?You always have the option of buying or trading for items. People who want to purchase their clothing and equipment can do so; there are many specialist suppliers. Also you can trade for items you can not make .Can my family join this group?Yes we are very family oriented.What is experimental archaeology?This is the term used when someone makes and uses a period tool or item. This can be anything from lighting a fire with a flint and steel to building and sailing a ship on an original route! It is the only way to really discover how things were done “back then”.What is historical trekking?This activity is trekking and camping in an historically accurate manner. People on a historical trek wear the clothing of the period and carry and use only the equipment used in that period. These treks are a great way to learn woods lore and survival skills.What sort of “period skills” can we learn and practice?You can learn and use any skill that was used in the period you reenact. For the mid-18th century these include spinning and weaving on a loom, finger weaving, tomahawk throwing, fire lighting, blade sharpening, leather making and leather working and much, much more.Is the NECLHG a gun club?No. Some on our members may carry a period gun on treks and camps as part of their persona. These guns are flintlock muzzle-loading antique guns or copies. The highest level of safely is maintained at all times. Guns are not carried loaded and all gun carrying members are licensed.What about women members?In the 18th century women performed many traditional and non traditional roles. There were women blacksmiths, naturalists, artists, and woods-women. Some accompanied militia on scouts . In the NECLHG a women can be what ever she wants to be!What about children.?Children are always welcome. Naturally children are the responsibility of their parents. Children really enjoy the living history activities and skills. It is a wonderful way to learn history and it makes their school based history a lot more meaningful. Also children can learn bush craft, survival skills and camping skills.